The fifteen minute novel writing experiment is an attempt to write a complete (and very rough) draft of a novel by writing for fifteen minutes each day. I have taken a timed writing from one of the daily prompts done in 2021, cleaned it up a little and used it as my jumping off point into a story. Each day I will take the last line of the story written the day before and use it as my sentence starter and write for fifteen minutes, growing the story as the year progresses.
Day 194: “Too dusty?” Anya guessed.
“Too dusty?” Anya guessed.
“I was thinking of structural damage but I doubt that much dust is healthy to breathe in either,” he said. He looked at her. “I think it might be best to leave it for the moment.”
“I think so too,” she said. She had been worried about the dust but didn’t like the idea of falling through a dilapidated floorboard or otherwise injuring herself without the possibility of anyone being able to help her.
“So any further questions?” Deran asked.
Anya shook her head. While Deran hadn’t exactly provided answers, she felt better for having talked things through with him. It was a bit of a relief to be able to do so without the need to hide any details. While nothing was resolved, Anya felt easier in her mind.
“Good,” Deran said. “Then let’s begin by talking about what it is you have been studying on your own. Then we will see where we need to expand.”
Over the next few hours, Anya spoke with Deran about the books she read while hiding in the hidden spaces. She told him of the books Marta left for her as well as the ones that she found on her own. With each book she mentioned, Deran took it and questioned her about her reading. He wanted to know how much information she retained as well as where her interests lay.
Periodically Anya added wood to the fire. While the initial activation of the circle kept her bound in place and unable to move, things changed. She was able to stand up from the chair and move about the room while she spoke with Duran. Whenever she stepped out of the circle tit began to pulse. The light from the pulsing circle was something Anya found disconcerting so she limited her excursions from the circle, standing with in it when she needed to stretch her legs and only leaving the circle when a new log needed to be added to the fire.
While her mind felt wring out by Deran’s questions, the room was quite comfortable. By the time Deran walked Anya through the information she previously learned, she was ready for a break and felt the dim rumblings of hunger in her belly. Deran gave her a list of several books to read through and instructions to return to go through the information once she made a significant start.
Anya nodded and stood ready for her first lesson to end.
“For now, we can only ensure you have the information you need,” Deran told her. “Later, when there are more ingredients available we can work through more practical things.” He gestured to the work bench that stood against the far wall. “later that will be useful and we will need to look at the proper equipment. But for now, it is books that we need.”
“I understand,” Anya said. “And I’ll be back when I have read more,” she told him.
“Or if something happens.” He told her. “I suspect interesting things will happen at some point and I’d hate to miss them.”
Anya promised to bring any news and ended the spell, letting the circles and Deran fade away.
Ten til Midnight 